KiribatiKiribati (/ˌkɪrɪˈbæs/ keer-ee-BASS, /-ˈbɑːti/ -BAH-tee),[8]
officially the Republic of
KiribatiKiribati (Gilbertese: Ribaberiki
Kiribati),[1][3][9][10][11] is a sovereign state in the central
Pacific Ocean. The permanent population is just over 110,000 (2015),
more than half of whom live on
TarawaTarawa Atoll. The nation comprises 32
atolls and reef islands and one raised coral island, Banaba. They have
a total land area of 800 square kilometres (310 sq mi)[12]
and are dispersed over 3.5 million square kilometres (1.3 million
square miles). Their spread straddles both the equator and the 180th
meridian, although the
International Date LineInternational Date Line goes round
KiribatiKiribati and
swings far to the east, almost reaching the 150°W meridian. This
brings the
Line IslandsLine Islands into the same day as the
KiribatiKiribati Islands.
Kiribati's easternmost islands, the southern Line Islands, south of
Hawaii, have the most advanced time on Earth:
UTC+14UTC+14 hours.
KiribatiKiribati became independent from the
United KingdomUnited Kingdom in 1979. The
capital and now most populated area, South Tarawa, consists of a
number of islets, connected by a series of causeways. These comprise
about half the area of
TarawaTarawa Atoll.
KiribatiKiribati is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the IMF and the
World Bank, and became a full member of the
United NationsUnited Nations in 1999.

Etymology[edit]
The name
KiribatiKiribati was adopted at independence. It is the local
enunciation of Gilberts. This name derives from the main archipelago
that forms the nation. It was named the
Gilbert IslandsGilbert Islands after the
British explorer Thomas Gilbert. He sighted many of the islands in
1788 while mapping out the Outer Passage route from
Port JacksonPort Jackson to
Canton.[13]
The
KiribatiKiribati archipelago was named Îles Gilbert (
Gilbert IslandsGilbert Islands in
English), in about 1820, by Russian admiral Adam von Krusenstern and
French captain Louis Duperrey. Both their maps, published in 1820,
were written in French. In English, the archipelago was often referred
to as the Kingsmills in the 19th century, although the name Gilbert
Islands was used increasingly, including in the Western Pacific Order
in Council of 1877[permanent dead link].
The name Gilbert was incorporated into the name of the entire Gilbert
and
Ellice IslandsEllice Islands Colony from 1916, and was retained after the Ellice
Islands became the separate nation of
TuvaluTuvalu in 1976. The spelling of
Gilberts in the
Gilbertese language as
KiribatiKiribati may be found in books
in Gilbertese prepared by missionaries and others (see e.g. Hawaiian
Board of Missionaries, 1895).[14]
It is often suggested that the indigenous name for the Gilbert Islands
proper is Tungaru (see e.g. Arthur Grimble, 1989[15]). However, the
name
KiribatiKiribati was chosen as the name of the new independent nation by
local consensus, on such grounds that it was modern[clarification
needed],[16] and to acknowledge the inclusion of islands (e.g. the
Phoenix Group and Line Islands), which were never considered part of
the Tungaru (or Gilberts) chain.[17][18]
The pronunciation differs: Kiribas is the official pronunciation as ti
in Kiribatese makes an s sound.
History[edit]
Main article: History of Kiribati

Gilbertese warriors of Tabiteuea, with shark's teeth weapons, about
1841

Early history[edit]
The area now called
KiribatiKiribati has been inhabited by Micronesians
speaking the same Oceanic language since sometime between 3000 BC[16]
and AD 1300.[19] The area was not isolated; invaders from Samoa,
Tonga, and Fiji, later introduced Polynesian and Melanesian cultural
aspects, respectively. Intermarriage tended to blur cultural
differences and resulted in a significant degree of cultural
homogenisation.[20][21]
Colonial era[edit]
Chance visits by European ships occurred in the 17th and 18th
centuries,[22][23] as these ships attempted circumnavigations of the
world or sought sailing routes from the south to north Pacific Ocean.
A passing trade, whaling the On-The-Line grounds[24] and labour trade
ships visited the islands in large numbers during the 19th century
with social, economic, political, religious and cultural consequences,
good, bad and indifferent.[16][25]
The passing trade gave rise to European, Chinese, Samoan and other
residents from the 1830s: they included beachcombers, castaways,
traders and missionaries. In 1892 local authorities (uea, atun te
boti) on each of the
Gilbert IslandsGilbert Islands agreed to Captain Davis RN
declaring them part of a British protectorate with the nearby Ellice
Islands. They were administered by a resident commissioner based in
ButaritariButaritari (1893–95),
TarawaTarawa (1896–1908) and Banaba (1908–1941),
who was under the Western Pacific High Commission based in Fiji.[26]
Banaba, known to Europeans as Ocean Island, was added to the
protectorate in 1900.

Stamp with portrait of King George VI, 1939

The conduct of W. Telfer Campbell, the resident commissioner of the
Gilberts of 1896 to 1908, was criticised as to his legislative,
judicial and administrative management (including allegations of
forced labour exacted from islanders) and became the subject of the
1909 report by Arthur Mahaffy.[27] In 1913 an anonymous correspondent
to the New Age journal described the mis-administration of W. Telfer
Campbell and questioned the partiality of Arthur Mahaffy as he was a
former colonial official in the Gilberts.[28] The anonymous
correspondent also criticised the operations of the Pacific Phosphate
Company on Ocean Island.[28]
The islands became the crown colony of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands
in 1916.[20] The Line Islands, including
Christmas IslandChristmas Island (later
spelled Kiritimati) and
Fanning IslandFanning Island (Tabuaeran), were added to the
colony in 1919 and the
Phoenix IslandsPhoenix Islands were added in 1937.

Colonial flag of Gilbert and Ellice Islands

Sir
Arthur Grimble was a cadet administrative officer based at Tarawa
(1913–1919) and became Resident Commissioner of the Gilbert and
Ellice IslandsEllice Islands colony in 1926.[29]
In 1902, the Pacific Cable Board laid the first trans-Pacific
telegraph cable from Bamfield, British Columbia to Fanning Island
(Tabuaeran) in the
Line IslandsLine Islands and from
FijiFiji to Fanning Island, thus
completing the All Red Line, a series of telegraph lines
circumnavigating the globe completely within the British Empire. The
location of Fanning Island, one of the closest formations to Hawaii,
led to its annexation by the
British EmpireBritish Empire in 1888. Nearby candidates
including Palmyra Island were disfavored due to the lack of adequate
landing sites.

American Marines assault a Japanese bunker during the Battle of
Tarawa, November 1943.

TarawaTarawa Atoll and others of the Gilbert group were occupied by Japan
from 1941 to 1943 during World War II.
BetioBetio became an airfield and
supply base. The expulsion of the Japanese military in late 1943
involved one of the bloodiest battles in US Marine Corps history.
Marines landed in November 1943 and the Battle of
TarawaTarawa ensued.
Further military incursions into the colony occurred in the late 1950s
and early 1960s when
Christmas IslandChristmas Island was used by the United States
and
United KingdomUnited Kingdom for nuclear weapons testing including hydrogen
bombs.
Institutions of internal self-rule were established on
TarawaTarawa from
about 1967. The
Ellice IslandsEllice Islands were separated from the rest of the
colony in 1975 and granted their own internal self-rule institutions.
In 1978 the
Ellice IslandsEllice Islands became the independent nation of
Tuvalu.[18][30]
Independence[edit]
The
Gilbert IslandsGilbert Islands gained independence as the Republic of
KiribatiKiribati on
12 July 1979.[31] The
United StatesUnited States gave up most of the Line Islands
and recognised
KiribatiKiribati in 1983.
KiribatiKiribati received Canton Island,
Enderbury Island, Birnie Island, Mckean Island, Rawaki, Manra, Orona,
and
NikumaroroNikumaroro from the Phoenix Islands; and Teraina, Tabuaeran,
Kiritimati, Malden Island, Starbuck Island, Caroline Islands, Vostok
Islands and
Flint IslandFlint Island from the Line Islands.
Although the indigenous
Gilbertese language name for the Gilbert
Islands proper is "TRawkungaru", the new state chose the name
"Kiribati", the
I-KiribatiI-Kiribati enunciation of "Gilberts", as an equivalent
of the former colony to acknowledge the inclusion of Banaba, the Line
Islands, and the Phoenix Islands. The last two of these were never
occupied by I-Kiribati[clarification needed] until the British
authorities, and later the Republic Government, resettled I-Kiribati
there under resettlement schemes.[18][30]
In the post-independence era, overcrowding has been a problem, at
least in British and aid organisations' eyes. In 1988, an announcement
was made that 4,700 residents of the main island group would be
resettled onto less-populated islands.
Teburoro Tito was elected president in 1994.[32] In 1995, Kiribati
unilaterally moved the international date line far to the east to
encompass the
Line IslandsLine Islands group, so that the nation would no longer
be divided by the date line. The move, which fulfilled one of
President Tito's campaign promises, was intended to allow businesses
across the expansive nation to keep the same business week. This also
enabled
KiribatiKiribati to become the first country to see the dawn of the
third millennium, an event of significance for tourism. Tito was
re-elected in 1998.
KiribatiKiribati gained UN membership in 1999.[33]
In 2002,
KiribatiKiribati passed a controversial law that enabled the
government to shut down newspapers. The legislation followed the
launching of Kiribati's first successful non-government-run newspaper.
President Tito was re-elected in 2003 but was removed from office in
March 2003 by a no-confidence vote and replaced by a Council of State.
Anote TongAnote Tong of the opposition party
Boutokaan Te Koaua was elected to
succeed Tito in July 2003. He was re-elected in 2007 and in 2011.[34]
In June 2008,
KiribatiKiribati officials asked
AustraliaAustralia and
New ZealandNew Zealand to
accept
KiribatiKiribati citizens as permanent refugees.
KiribatiKiribati is expected
to be the first country to lose all its land territory to global
warming. In June 2008, the
KiribatiKiribati President
Anote TongAnote Tong said that the
country has reached "the point of no return." He added, "To plan for
the day when you no longer have a country is indeed painful but I
think we have to do that."[35][36][37][38]
In early 2012, the government of
KiribatiKiribati purchased the 2,200-hectare
Natoavatu Estate on the second largest island of Fiji, Vanua Levu. At
the time it was widely reported[39][40][41] that the government
planned to evacuate the entire population of
KiribatiKiribati to Fiji. In
April 2013, President Tong began urging citizens to evacuate the
islands and migrate elsewhere.[42] In May 2014, the Office of the
President confirmed the purchase of some 5,460 acres of land on Vanua
Levu at a cost of 9.3 million Australian dollars.[43]
Politics[edit]
Main article: Politics of Kiribati

The
KiribatiKiribati Constitution, promulgated 12 July 1979, provides for free
and open elections. The executive branch consists of a president (te
Beretitenti), a vice-president and a cabinet. The president, who is
also chief of the cabinet, is elected from the legislature and is
limited to three four-year terms. He remains a member of the Assembly
while serving as president. The cabinet is composed of the president,
vice-president, and 10 ministers (appointed by the president) who are
also members of the House of Assembly.
The legislative branch is the unicameral Maneaba Ni Maungatabu (House
of Assembly). It has elected members, including by constitutional
mandate a representative of the Banaban people in
FijiFiji (Banaba Island,
former Ocean Island), in addition to the attorney general, who serves
as an ex-officio member. Legislators serve for a four-year term.
The constitutional provisions governing administration of justice are
similar to those in other former British possessions in that the
judiciary is free from governmental interference. The judicial branch
is made up of the High Court (in Betio) and the Court of Appeal. The
president appoints the presiding judges.
Local government is through island councils with elected members.
Local affairs are handled in a manner similar to town meetings in
colonial America. Island councils make their own estimates of revenue
and expenditure and generally are free from central government
controls. There are a total of 21 inhabited islands in Kiribati. Each
inhabited island has its own council. Since independence,
KiribatiKiribati is
no longer divided into districts (see Subdivisions of Kiribati).
KiribatiKiribati has formal political parties but their organisation is quite
informal. Ad hoc opposition groups tend to coalesce around
specific issues. Today the only recognisable parties are the Boutokaan
te Koaua Party, Maneaban te Mauri Party, Maurin
KiribatiKiribati Party and
Tabomoa Party. There is universal suffrage at age 18.
Foreign relations[edit]
Main article: Foreign relations of Kiribati
KiribatiKiribati maintains close relations with its Pacific neighbours,
Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan,
JapanJapan and Fiji. The first three of
these provide the majority of the country's foreign aid.
TaiwanTaiwan and
JapanJapan also have specified-period licences to fish in Kiribati's
waters.[44] There are four resident diplomatic missions headquartered
in Kiribati: the Embassies of
TaiwanTaiwan and
CubaCuba and the High Commissions
of
AustraliaAustralia and New Zealand.
In November 1999 it was announced[by whom?] that Japan's National
Space Development Agency planned to lease land on Kiritimati
(Christmas Island) for 20 years, on which to build a
spaceport.[citation needed] The agreement stipulated that
JapanJapan was to
pay US$840,000 per year and would also pay for any damage to roads and
the environment. A Japanese-built downrange tracking station operates
on Kiritimati[45] and an abandoned airfield on the island was
designated as the landing strip for a proposed reusable unmanned space
shuttle called HOPE-X. HOPE-X, however, was eventually cancelled by
JapanJapan in 2003.[citation needed]
As one of the world's most vulnerable nations to the effects of global
warming,
KiribatiKiribati has been an active participant in international
diplomatic efforts relating to climate change, most importantly the
UNFCCCUNFCCC conferences of the parties (COP).
KiribatiKiribati is a member of the
Alliance of Small Island StatesAlliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), an intergovernmental
organisation of low-lying coastal and small island countries.
Established in 1990, the main purpose of the alliance is to
consolidate the voices of
Small Island Developing StatesSmall Island Developing States (SIDS) to
address global warming. AOSIS has been very active from its inception,
putting forward the first draft text in the Kyoto Protocol
negotiations as early as 1994.
In 2009, President Tong attended the
Climate Vulnerable ForumClimate Vulnerable Forum (V11) in
the Maldives, with 10 other countries that are vulnerable to climate
change, and signed the Bandos Island declaration on 10 November 2009,
pledging to show moral leadership and commence greening their
economies by voluntarily committing to achieving carbon neutrality.
In November 2010,
KiribatiKiribati hosted the
TarawaTarawa Climate Change Conference
(TCCC) to support the president of Kiribati's initiative to hold a
consultative forum between vulnerable states and their partners. The
conference strove to create an enabling environment for multi-party
negotiations under the auspices of the UNFCCC. The conference was a
successor event to the Climate Vulnerable Forum.[46] The ultimate
objective of TCCC was to reduce the number and intensity of fault
lines between parties to the COP process, explore elements of
agreement between the parties and thereby to support Kiribati's and
other parties' contribution to
COP16COP16 held in Cancun, Mexico, from 29
November to 10 December 2010.
In 2013, President Tong has spoken of climate-change induced sea level
rise as "inevitable". "For our people to survive, then they will have
to migrate. Either we can wait for the time when we have to move
people en masse or we can prepare them—beginning from now ..."[47]
In New York in 2014, per The New Yorker, President Tong told The New
York Times that "according to the projections, within this century,
the water will be higher than the highest point in our lands".[48] In
2014, President Tong finalized the purchase of a 20 km2 stretch
of land on Vanua Levu, one of the larger
FijiFiji islands, 2,000 km
away. A move described by Tong as an "absolute necessity" should the
nation be completely submerged under water.[49]
In 2013 attention was drawn to a claim of a
KiribatiKiribati man of being a
"climate change refugee" under the Convention relating to the Status
of Refugees (1951).[50] However this claim was determined by the New
Zealand High Court to be untenable.[51] The
New ZealandNew Zealand Court of
Appeal also rejected the claim in a 2014 decision. On further appeal
the
New ZealandNew Zealand Supreme Court confirmed the earlier adverse rulings
against the application for refugee status, but rejected the
proposition “that environmental degradation resulting from climate
change or other natural disasters could never create a pathway into
the Refugee Convention or protected person jurisdiction.”[52]
Law enforcement and military[edit]
Law enforcement in KiribatiLaw enforcement in Kiribati is carried out by the
KiribatiKiribati Police
Service which is responsible for all law enforcement and paramilitary
duties for the island nation. There are police posts located on all of
the islands. The police have one patrol boat.[53]
KiribatiKiribati has no
military and relies on both
AustraliaAustralia and
New ZealandNew Zealand for its defence.
The main prison in
KiribatiKiribati is located in Betio, named the Walter
BetioBetio Prison. There is also a prison in Ronton (London) on Kiritimati
Island.
Administrative divisions[edit]

Four of the former districts (including Tarawa) lie in the Gilbert
Islands, where most of the country's population lives. Five of the
Line IslandsLine Islands are uninhabited (Malden Island, Starbuck Island, Caroline
Island,
Vostok IslandVostok Island and Flint Island). The
Phoenix IslandsPhoenix Islands are
uninhabited except for Kanton, and have no representation. Banaba
itself is sparsely inhabited now. There is also a non-elected
representative of the Banabans on
Rabi IslandRabi Island in Fiji.
Each of the 21 inhabited islands[1] has its own local council that
takes care of daily affairs. There is one council for each inhabited
island, with two exceptions:
TarawaTarawa Atoll has three councils: Betio
Town Council, Te Inainano Urban Council (for the rest of South Tarawa)
and Eutan
TarawaTarawa Council (for North Tarawa); and
TabiteueaTabiteuea has two
councils.
Geography[edit]
Main article: Geography of Kiribati

A map of Kiribati.

Coconut palms in Abaiang

KiribatiKiribati consists of 32 atolls and one solitary island (Banaba),
extending into the eastern and western hemispheres, as well as the
northern and southern hemispheres. It is the only country that is
situated within all four hemispheres.[1] The groups of islands are:

Banaba: an isolated island between
NauruNauru and the Gilbert Islands
Gilbert Islands: 16 atolls located some 1,500 kilometres (932 mi)
north of Fiji
Phoenix Islands: 8 atolls and coral islands located some 1,800
kilometres (1,118 mi) southeast of the Gilberts
Line Islands: 8 atolls and one reef, located about 3,300 kilometres
(2,051 mi) east of the Gilberts

Banaba (or Ocean Island) is a raised-coral island. It was once a rich
source of phosphates, but was exhausted in mining before
independence.[55][56] The rest of the land in
KiribatiKiribati consists of the
sand and reef rock islets of atolls or coral islands, which rise only
one or two metres above sea level.
The soil is thin and calcareous. It has a low water-holding capacity
and low organic matter and nutrient content—except for calcium,
sodium, and magnesium. Banaba is one of the least suitable places for
agriculture in the world.[57]
KiritimatiKiritimati (Christmas Island) in the
Line IslandsLine Islands is the world's
largest atoll. Based on a 1995 realignment of the International Date
Line, the
Line IslandsLine Islands were the first area to enter into a new year,
including year 2000. For that reason,
Caroline IslandCaroline Island has been renamed
Millennium Island.[58] The majority of Kiribati, including the
capital, is not first, for example
New ZealandNew Zealand (
UTC+13UTC+13 in January) has
an earlier new year.
Environmental issues[edit]
According to the
Pacific Regional Environment ProgrammePacific Regional Environment Programme (previously
South Pacific Regional Environment Programme), two small uninhabited
KiribatiKiribati islets, Tebua
TarawaTarawa and Abanuea, disappeared underwater in
1999.[59] The
United NationsUnited Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
predicts that sea levels will rise by about 50 cm (20 in) by
2100 due to global warming and a further rise would be inevitable. It
is thus likely that within a century the nation's arable land will
become subject to increased soil salination and will be largely
submerged.[60]
The exposure of
KiribatiKiribati to changes in sea levels is exacerbated by
the Pacific decadal oscillation, which is a climate switch phenomenon
that results in changes from periods of
La NiñaLa Niña to periods of El
Niño. This has an effect on sea levels. For example, in 2000 there
was a switch from periods of downward pressure of
El NiñoEl Niño on sea
levels to an upward pressure of
La NiñaLa Niña on sea levels, which upward
pressure causes more frequent and higher high tide levels. The
Perigean spring tidePerigean spring tide (often called a king tide) can result in seawater
flooding low-lying areas of the islands of Kiribati.[61]

The atolls and reef islands can respond to changes in sea-level. Paul
Kench at the
University of AucklandUniversity of Auckland in
New ZealandNew Zealand and Arthur Webb at
the
South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission in
FijiFiji released a
study in 2010 on the dynamic response of atolls and reef islands in
the central Pacific.
KiribatiKiribati was mentioned in the study, and Webb and
Kench found that the three major urbanised islands in
Kiribati—Betio, Bairiki and Nanikai—increased by 30% (36
hectares), 16.3% (5.8 hectares) and 12.5% (0.8 hectares),
respectively.[62][63][64][65][66]
The study by Paul Kench and Arthur Webb recognises that the islands
are extremely vulnerable to sea level rise, and concluded that: "This
study did not measure vertical growth of the island surface nor does
it suggest there is any change in the height of the islands. Since
land height has not changed the vulnerability of the greater part of
the land area of each island to submergence due to sea level rise is
also unchanged and these low-lying atolls remain immediately and
extremely vulnerable to inundation or sea water flooding."[63]
The Climate Change in the Pacific Report of 2011 describes
KiribatiKiribati as
having a low risk of cyclones;[67] however in March 2015 Kiribati
experienced flooding and destruction of seawalls and coastal
infrastructure as the result of Cyclone Pam, a
Category 5 cyclone that
devastated Vanuatu.[68]
KiribatiKiribati remains exposed to the risk that
cyclones can strip the low-lying islands of their vegetation and soil.
Gradual sea-level rise also allows for coral polyp activity to raise
the atolls with the sea level. However, if the increase in sea level
occurs at a rate faster than coral growth, or if polyp activity is
damaged by ocean acidification, then the resilience of the atolls and
reef islands is less certain.[69] Also, coral bleaching has led to the
death of up to 80% of the coral.[70]
The
Kiribati Adaptation ProgramKiribati Adaptation Program (KAP) is a US $5.5 million initiative
that was originally enacted by the national government of Kiribati
with the support of the
Global Environment FacilityGlobal Environment Facility (GEF), the World
Bank, the
United NationsUnited Nations Development Program, and the Japanese
government.
AustraliaAustralia later joined the coalition, donating US $1.5
million to the effort. The program aims to take place over six years,
supporting measures that reduce Kiribati's vulnerability to the
effects of climate change and sea level rise by raising awareness of
climate change, assessing and protecting available water resources,
and managing inundation. At the start of the Adaptation Program,
representatives from each of the inhabited atolls identified key
climatic changes that had taken place over the past 20–40 years and
proposed coping mechanisms to deal with these changes under four
categories of urgency of need. The program is now focusing on the
country's most vulnerable sectors in the most highly populated areas.
Initiatives include improving water supply management in and around
Tarawa; coastal management protection measures such as mangrove
re-plantation and protection of public infrastructure; strengthening
laws to reduce coastal erosion; and population settlement planning to
reduce personal risks.[71]
Climate[edit]

A tropical islet with palm fronds oriented in the direction of the
prevailing winds.

The climate is pleasant from April to October, with predominant
northeastern winds and stable temperatures close to 30 °C
(86 °F). From November to March, western gales bring rain and
occasional cyclones.[1][20][57]
PrecipitationPrecipitation varies significantly between islands. For example, the
annual average is 3,000 mm (120 in) in the north and
500 mm (20 in) in the south of the Gilbert Islands.[20] Most
of these islands are in the dry belt of the equatorial oceanic
climatic zone and experience prolonged droughts.[57]

The bokikokiko (Acrocephalus aequinoctialis) is the only land wildlife
species endemic to Kiribati.

Because of the young geological age of the islands and atolls and high
level of soil salination the flora of
KiribatiKiribati is relatively poor. It
contains about 83 indigenous and 306 introduced plants on Gilbert
Islands, whereas the corresponding numbers for Line and Phoenix
Islands are 67 and 283. None of these species are endemic, and about
half of the indigenous ones have a limited distribution and became
endangered or nearly extinct due to human activities such as phosphate
mining.[73] Coconut and pandanus palms and breadfruit trees are most
common wild plants,[74][20] whereas the five most cultivated crops are
Chinese cabbage, pumpkin, tomato, watermelon and cucumber.[75] Over
eighty percent of the population participates in either farming or
fishing.[76]

SeaweedSeaweed farming is an important part of the economy[why?], with two
major species Eucheuma alcarezii and Eucheuma spinosium introduced to
the local lagoons from the
PhilippinesPhilippines in 1977. It competes with
collection of the black-lipped pearl oyster (Pinctada margaritifera)
and shellfish,[77] which are dominated by the strombid gastropod
(Strombus luhuanus) and Anadara cockles (Anadara uropigimelana),
whereas the stocks of the giant clam (Tridacna gigas) have been
largely exhausted.[78]
KiribatiKiribati has a few land mammals, none being indigenous or endemic.
They include the Polynesian rat (Rattus exulans), dogs and pigs. Among
the 75 bird species, the
BokikokikoBokikokiko (Acrocephalus aequinoctialis) is
endemic to Kiritimati.[73]
There are 600–800 species of inshore and pelagic finfish, some 200
species of corals and about 1000 species of shellfish.[79] Fishing
mostly targets the family Scombridae, particularly the skipjack tuna
and yellowfin tuna as well as flying fish (Cypselurus spp.). [80]
Dogs introduced by European settlers have continued to grow in numbers
and are roaming in traditional packs,[81] particularly around South
Tarawa.
Economy[edit]
Main article: Economy of Kiribati

A Bosj's warehouse in Kiribati.

Goods in a shop on the outer islands.

Exports of Kiribati

KiribatiKiribati has few natural resources. Commercially viable phosphate
deposits on Banaba were exhausted at the time of independence. Copra
and fish now represent the bulk of production and exports.
KiribatiKiribati is
considered one of the least developed countries in the world.
In one form or another,
KiribatiKiribati gets a large portion of its income
from abroad. Examples include fishing licenses, development
assistance, worker remittances, and tourism. Given Kiribati's limited
domestic production ability, it must import nearly all of its
essential foodstuffs and manufactured items; it depends on these
external sources of income for financing.
The economy of
KiribatiKiribati benefits from international development
assistance programs. The multilateral donors providing development
assistance in 2009 were the
European UnionEuropean Union (A$9 million), the United
Nations Development Programme (A$3.7 million), UNICEF, and the World
Health Organisation (A$100,000).[82] The bilateral donors providing
development assistance in 2009 were
AustraliaAustralia (A$11 million), Japan
(A$2 million),
New ZealandNew Zealand (A$6.6 million),
TaiwanTaiwan (A$10.6 million),
and other donors providing A$16.2 million, including technical
assistance grants from the Asian Development Bank.[82][83]
The major donors in 2010/2011 were
AustraliaAustralia (A$15 million), Taiwan
(A$11 million);
New ZealandNew Zealand (A$6 million), the
World BankWorld Bank (A$4
million) and the Asian Development Bank.[84]
In 1956,
KiribatiKiribati established a sovereign wealth fund to act as a
store of wealth for the country's earnings from phosphate mining. In
2008, the
Revenue Equalization Reserve Fund was valued at US$400
million.[85] The RERF assets declined from A$637 million (420% of GDP)
in 2007 to A$570.5 million (350% of GDP) in 2009[82] as the result of
the global financial crisis and exposure to failed Icelandic banks. In
addition, draw downs were made by the government of
KiribatiKiribati to
finance budgetary shortfalls during this period.[12]
In May 2011, the IMF country report assessment of the economy of
KiribatiKiribati is that “After two years of contraction, the economy
recovered in the second half of 2010 and inflation pressure
dissipated. It is estimated to have grown by 1.75% for the year.
Despite a weather-related drop in copra production, private sector
activity appears to have picked up, especially in retail. Tourist
arrivals rebounded by 20% compared to 2009, although from a very low
base. Despite the rise in world food and fuel prices, inflation has
bounced from 2008 crisis-highs into negative territory, reflecting the
strong appreciation of the Australian dollar, which is used as the
domestic currency, and a decline in the world price of rice. Credit
growth in the overall economy declined in 2009 as economic activity
stalled. But it started to pick up in the second half of 2010 as the
recovery gained traction.”[12]
A major Australian bank, ANZ, maintains a presence on Kiribati[86]
with a number of branches and ATM units.
Transport[edit]

The November 2015 census showed a population of 110,136. About 90% of
that population lived in the Gilbert Islands, with about 40% of them
on South Tarawa. If nearby
BetioBetio is included with South Tarawa, the
percentage rises to more than 50%.[87]
Until recently, the people of
KiribatiKiribati mostly lived in villages with
populations between 50 and 3,000 on the outer islands. Most houses are
made of materials obtained from coconut and pandanus trees. Frequent
droughts and infertile soil hinder reliable large-scale agriculture,
so the islanders have largely turned to the sea for livelihood and
subsistence. Most are outrigger sailors and fishermen. Copra
plantations serve as a second source of employment. In recent years
large numbers of citizens have moved to the more urban island capital
of Tarawa. Increasing urbanisation has raised the population of South
TarawaTarawa to 50,182.[12][page needed]

Village on Kiribati

Ethnic groups[edit]
The native people of
KiribatiKiribati are called I-Kiribati. Ethnically, the
I-KiribatiI-Kiribati are Micronesians. Recent archaeological evidence indicates
that
AustronesiansAustronesians originally settled the islands thousands of years
ago. Around the 14th century, Fijians, Samoans, and Tongans invaded
the islands, thus diversifying the ethnic range and introducing
Polynesian linguistic traits. Intermarriage among all ancestral
groups, however, has led to a population reasonably homogeneous in
appearance and traditions.
Languages[edit]
The people of
KiribatiKiribati speak an Oceanic language called Gilbertese.
Although English is also an official language, it is not used very
often outside the island capital of Tarawa. It is more likely that
English is mixed in its use with Gilbertese. Older generations of
I-KiribatiI-Kiribati tend to use more complicated versions of the language.
Several words in Gilbertese have been adopted from European settlers,
for instance, kamea is the Gilbertese word for dog,[88] which has its
origins in the
I-Kiribati peopleI-Kiribati people hearing the European settlers saying
"come here" to their dogs, and adopting that as kamea.
Religion[edit]
Further information: Religion in Kiribati

Christian Church in Kiribati

ChristianityChristianity is the major religion in Kiribati, having been introduced
by missionaries in the 19th century. The population is predominantly
Roman Catholic (56%), although a substantial portion of the population
belongs to the
Kiribati Uniting Church (34%). Many other Protestant
denominations, including evangelical churches, are also represented.
The
Bahá'í FaithBahá'í Faith religion also exists in
KiribatiKiribati (2.2%), along with
Jehovah's Witnesses.[1][89]The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints (LDS Church) self-reports a membership of 17,472 (16.9%) with
26 congregations at the end of 2015.[90]
The
Kiribati Uniting Church and the LDS Church maintain large physical
presences in Kiribati; both churches have a large number of church
buildings, predominantly in
BetioBetio and Bonriki.[91]
Health[edit]
The population of
KiribatiKiribati has a life expectancy at birth of 60 years
(57 for males, and 63 for females) and an infant mortality rate of 54
deaths per 1,000 live births.[12]
TuberculosisTuberculosis has a small presence in
the country, with 365 cases of 100,000 a year.[92] Government
expenditure on health was at US$268 per capita (PPP) in 2006.[93] In
1990–2007, there were 23 physicians per 100,000 persons.[94] Since
the arrival of Cuban doctors, the infant mortality rate has decreased
significantly.[95]
Most health problems are related to consumption of semi-raw seafood,
limited amount of food storage facilities, and bacterial contamination
of fresh water supplies. In the early 2000s, between 1 and 7% of the
population, depending on the island, were annually treated for food
poisoning in a hospital. Modernization and cross-cultural exchange of
the late 20th century brought new issues of unhealthy diet and
lifestyle; heavy smoking, especially among the young population; and
external infections, including HIV/AIDS.[96]
KiribatiKiribati is the country with the third highest prevalence of smoking,
with 54% of the population reported as smokers.[97]
Fresh water remains a concern of
KiribatiKiribati – during the dry season
(Aumaiaki), water has been drilled for instead of using rain water
tanks. In recent years, there has been a longer than usual Aumaikai
season resulting in additional water having to be drilled from beneath
the water table. This has introduced water-borne illnesses,
compounding the health problems within Kiribati.[98]
Education[edit]
Further information: Education in Kiribati

Primary education is free and compulsory for the first six years, now
being extended to nine years. Mission schools are slowly being
absorbed into the government primary school system. Higher education
is expanding; students may seek technical, teacher or marine training,
or study in other countries. To date, most choosing to do the latter
have gone to
FijiFiji to attend University of South Pacific, and those
wishing to complete medical training have been sent to Cuba.[99]
University of South PacificUniversity of South Pacific has a campus in
KiribatiKiribati for
distant/flexible learning, but also to provide preparatory studies
towards obtaining certificates, diplomas and degrees at other campus
sites.
Culture[edit]
Main article: Culture of Kiribati
Songs (te anene) and above all, dances (te mwaie), are held in high
regard.
Music[edit]
Main article: Music of Kiribati
KiribatiKiribati folk music is generally based on chanting or other forms of
vocalising, accompanied by body percussion. Public performances in
modern
KiribatiKiribati are generally performed by a seated chorus,
accompanied by a guitar. However, during formal performances of the
standing dance (Te Kaimatoa) or the hip dance (Te Buki), a wooden box
is used as a percussion instrument. This box is constructed to give a
hollow and reverberating tone when struck simultaneously by a chorus
of men sitting around it. Traditional songs are often love-themed, but
there are also competitive, religious, children's, patriotic, war and
wedding songs. There are also stick dances which accompany legends and
semi-historical stories[citation needed]. These stick dances or
"tirere" (pronounced seerere) are performed only during major
festivals.
Dance[edit]
Main article: Dance in Kiribati

A welcome display.

The uniqueness of
KiribatiKiribati when compared with other forms of Pacific
island dance is its emphasis on the outstretched arms of the dancer
and the sudden birdlike movement of the head. The Frigate bird
(Fregata minor) on the
KiribatiKiribati flag refers to this bird-like style of
KiribatiKiribati dancing. Most dances are in the standing or sitting position
with movement limited and staggered. Smiling whilst dancing is
generally considered vulgar within the context of
KiribatiKiribati dancing.
This is due to its origin of not being solely as a form of
entertainment but as a form of storytelling and a display of the
skill, beauty and endurance of the dancer.[100]
Sport[edit]
See also:
Kiribati at the OlympicsKiribati at the Olympics and
KiribatiKiribati at the 2014
Commonwealth Games
KiribatiKiribati has competed at the
Commonwealth GamesCommonwealth Games since 1998 and the
Summer OlympicsSummer Olympics since 2004. It sent three competitors to its first
Olympics, two sprinters and a weightlifter.[101]
KiribatiKiribati won its
first ever
Commonwealth GamesCommonwealth Games medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games
when weightlifter
David Katoatau won Gold in the 105 kg
Group.[102]
The
Kiribati national football teamKiribati national football team is an associate member of the
OceaniaOceania Football Confederation, but not of world-governing body FIFA.
It has played ten matches, all of which it has lost, and all at the
Pacific Games from 1979 to 2011. The
KiribatiKiribati football stadium is
Bairiki National Stadium, which has a capacity of only 2500.[103]
The
BetioBetio Soccer Field is home to a number of local sporting
teams.[104]
Outside perspectives[edit]
Edward Carlyon Eliot, who was Resident Commissioner of the Gilbert
&
Ellice IslandsEllice Islands (now
KiribatiKiribati & Tuvalu) from 1913 to 1920
describes this period in his book "Broken Atoms" (autobiographical
reminiscences) Pub. G. Bles, London, 1938.
Sir
Arthur Grimble wrote about his time working in the British
colonial service in
KiribatiKiribati (then the Gilbert Islands) from 1914 to
1932 in two popular books A Pattern of Islands (1952)[29] and Return
to the Islands (1957). He also undertook academic studies of
Gilbertese culture.
J. Maarten Troost's more recent autobiographical experiences on the
TarawaTarawa Atoll are documented in his book The Sex Lives of Cannibals
(2004).[105]
Notable people[edit]